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Brew guide for the May 2021 box

Brew guide for the May 2021 box

In this brew guide, discover a brand new coffee brewer and a bunch of fun recipes from my three roasters and me.

The weekend has arrived and already, the first May 2021 Coffeevine boxes are dropping at people’s doorsteps just one day after leaving the warehouse. I’m so pumped to hear what you guys all think about this epic coffee box featuring three exquisite coffees from Onyx, Fjord Coffee and Casino Mocca.

For this month’s brew guide, I chose to work with a new brewer that I’ve seen a lot on Instagram lately and that sparked my curiosity. The Orea brewer is a beautiful piece of coffee making equipment that is designed and made in the UK and still not fully commerically available.

I did notice a few design flaws as I worked with it that I discussed in my brew guide video that you can view below. Yet, at the same time, it’s always exciting to play around with some new toys and the coffee that came out of this brewer was excellent.

If you’ve had a chance to brew with the Orea, let me know in the comments down below what you thought of it. And now, let’s dive into the recipes for my May 2021 Coffeevine box!


The May 2021 Coffeevine brew guide

Orea dripper

Orea dripper

Brewing coffee

Coffee pouring

Coffee drinker


Basic setup:

As in any good kitchen or bar, you want to be sure to have a few key items at your disposal that will aid you in preparing a delicious cup of coffee.

These include:

    • Scales (with or without a timer – you can use your phone or your watch)
    • A good quality burr grinder such as the Comandante Grinder
    • The Kruve Sifter (not required but handy to filter out fines)
    • Your favourite brew method (Origami, Kalita Wave, V60, AeroPress etc)
    • A clean vessel for brewing and decanting
    • Water for brewing. I use the brilliant Peak Water filtration system
    • A pouring kettle but a regular kettle will also do, however, it requires more precision

It’s very important to always freshly grind your coffee just before preparation because coffee is very volatile and quickly loses its full aroma in a matter of minutes.

You can also vacuum pack your coffee in portions, name and number each batch and then keep it in a dry cool place. More information about freshness and how to rest your coffees can be found in this article.

For espresso, I use my home espresso machine, a Lelit MaraX along with a separate grinder for espresso. I use the same water I use for brewing.


My recipe for Onyx’s, Rwanda Kanzu #5:

Orea: This cute little coffee brewer is still in prototype stage and not readily available. I personally think it has a few design flaws like the fact that it doesn’t have a handle and the base is a bit too small for my liking. I had to very carefully place it on my vessel to make sure it didn’t accidentally move and drop into the coffee but overall, it’s a really nice new brewer as it has a flat bottom bed and more openings to encourage water flow.

Because it’s so small, I used 12g of coffee ground medium-fine, about 22 clicks on the Comandante. Water boiled to 98°C. Add your coffee and do a short bloom of around 30 seconds. Then, add your water in pulses, always filling the brewer to the edge as you go. At around 1:30 minutes, all of your water should be in the brewer and the total brew time will be around 2:15 minutes.

This brewer produced a beautifully floral and balanced cup. Very delicious!

Onyx’s recipe for filter:

Clever Dripper- 25g ground medium (15 on Baratza Encore, 3 on Fellow Ode, 25 clicks on C40), 400g water, 96°C, 50g bloom and “scoop” the ground with a spoon, at 30 sec pour up to 400g total in under 1 min with a final quick stir to break up clumps. Cover with lid and rest until a total brew time of 2 min 30 sec.

Onyx’s recipe for espresso:

20g in, 45-50g out in 24-25 sec. 120ppm water. 96°C.

Fjord’s recipe for filter:

As coffee is best shared, we will use 30g to 520g 30g medium/fine grind. Water straight off the boil. No bloom as the whole brewing process is essentially a bloom. Pour 250g water in circular motion for 45 sec – very aggresive.

Let 50% of the volume drain away. Pour remaining 270g (520g total) in circular motion and finish the pour at 2 minutes. Give it a Rao swirl. Bed should be flat and all water has passed through by 3:00 minutes. Always stir your coffee.

Fjord’s recipe for espresso:

Use 0.5g less than your basket size and aim for 1:2.25 ratio (20g in > 45g out) in 25-28 sec.

Casino Mocca’s recipe for filter:

Our QC filter brew method using Kalita 155 dripper with white Kalita Wave 155 filter paper as follows:

15g ground coffee, 250g water, water temperature set on our kettle: 95°C, water composition: 20 ppm buffer 40 ppm Magnesium (1000g water, 0.028g Sodium Bicarbonate, 0.4g Epsom Salt), pour in 5 turns, 50g water in every 30 seec. Aim for a final beverage TDS% of 1.45. Please note that this is a very basic recipe aimed to achieve a consistent QC routine, not to bring out the coffee’s maximum potential.

Casino Mocca’s recipe for espresso:

Our QC espresso brew method using La Marzocco GS\3, NS Mythos One, 18g VST filter basket and BWT Bestprotect water treatment. Water temperature set on the GS\3: 92°C. 18g ground coffee in, 45g beverage out (1:2.5 ratio) in 35s at 9 bar pressure from which the first 5s is low-pressure preinfusion. Again, this is a basic QC recipe we use when dialling in roast profiles.


What did you think of these recipes and the coffees from the May 2021 Coffeevine box? Let me know in the comments down below and make sure you subscribe in time for the upcoming June 2021 coffee subscription box.

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